Their broadband service had been quite reliable for a year or two but no longer.

Some months ago the connection to the internet kept disconnecting/connecting every few minutes making it impossible to use. After the lengthy PlusNet try this, try that, try another modem/router, etc. procedure a BT enginer visited, confirmed all was OK at their home. After a number of reboots to the modem, speed and reliability of connction was re-established.

Now, in the last few days, the disconnect/connect fault has returned. Again it is not possible to access the internet for more than a couple of minutes before the next 5 minute outage! Once again the PlusNet response is to try this, try that, try another modem/router. My friend is still waiting for PlusNet to sort out this ridiculous situation.

My career was in data communications (many years ago) and even then we had sufficient telemetry to help identify faults and rectify. Surely technology is a little better now and days and days of outages can be identified and rectified speedily AND the customer kept up to date with progress (or lack of in this case)?

I have lent my friend a Broadband dongle (nothing to do with PlusNet) on another network and internet connection through this is excellent. It wont be long before PlusNet lose another customer (but perhaps that will suit them, they wont need to rectify an ongoing fault!).

Just out if interest: I am served by the same BT Exchange and an equal distance from it as my friend and my PlusNet broadband connection has been 100% I am on the pcl-ag02 gateway, they are on pcl-ag05 if I recall.

Just out if interest: I am served by the same BT Exchange and an equal distance from it as my friend and my PlusNet broadband connection has been 100% I am on the pcl-ag02 gateway, they are on pcl-ag05 if I recall.

The gateways are assigned at random as you connect, so I wouldn't think that would make a difference. It does sound like there's probably a fault with your friends connection - potentially to do with the phoneline so therefor you wouldn't see the same thing unless you were in his house.

Plusnet have to ask a set of questions, before they can report the fault to BT to get them to fix it - as otherwise, your friend could be liable to a charge of around £100 if memory serves.

My memory was that it was possibly even £120 (plus VAT!) that BT charge. Either way, it is wise to be sure the problem is outside the customers premises before BT are booked to visit. If the cause of the fault is found with internal wiring on the customer's side of the master socket, then the charge is made as above!

So whilst it is a pain to be asked to rule out various problems before they send a BT engineer, it is prudent to bear with the questioning and be sure.

If he has a fault on the copper wire, then he would be seeing the same fault regardless which ADSL supplier he was with, so this isn't a reflection on Plusnet, but rather on the poor state of some of the old copper wires.

Sometimes the problem is intermittent too (often weather related due to water ingress drying out), which makes it even harder to find.

Thanks Joanne, all help will be appreciated. Tickets are 45101609 and 45134545. (I think a second ticket was raised by accident).

We're aware of the potential charges from BT for identifying faults, however, this problem is identical to that which was experienced only a few months ago (at which time BT confirmed no problems with my friend's modem/router, internal cabling and termination, etc.).

We have seen the note (on #45134545) from (removed) and can confirm all the checks requested have been performed.

My own modem/router has been installed to my friends line (directly to BT terminal) and within an hour the disconnects returned.

(I am now using my friends modem/router on my own broadband connection - without any problem.) but the problem still exists for my friend with their connection AND occured again at 21:49 just as I'm trying to send this message!!! Connected again at 21:51!

And now (less than 12 months on) the same unreliability of connection has returned for my friend.

Interestingly, we had been away for a couple of weeks and both our PlusNet internet connections were down on our return. My connection has been OK since a reboot of my modem. The connection of my friend returns after a reboot of their modem but is lost again after a few minutes - I've given up counting the number of times we rebooted this evening - they have now given up! (We are both served from the same BT exchange).

Tomorrow they will be using my Broadband Dongle (from another supplier) again!

From your earlier reports, it sounds very much as if there is a problem with the phone line at your friend's place. Only BT will be able to resolve this (in collaboration with Plusnet). No amount of complaining will resolve much until the actual phone connection is reliable and stable. I live in a rural overhead cable area and have to cater with having corroded cables; Wind damage etc as a regular fact of life, but Plusnet can (and do!) get their colleagues in OpenReach to resolve the telephony path fairly quickly. Have you raised a new ticket yet?

Sorry to hear that. There's certainly been a lot of drops on the line recently however the connection has now been stable for over 20 hours at a profile of around 15Mb (which looks spot on for this connection going by the history) - is this what your friend is seeing?

As MauriceB says, if there's noise on the line that needs to be looked at by the phone provider (apologies if they've already done that and that's what has improved things) but otherwise please let us know and we'll investigate further.

Going by the connection logs and speed history though it does seem like things have settled down, please let us know.

From your earlier reports, it sounds very much as if there is a problem with the phone line at your friend's place. Only BT will be able to resolve this (in collaboration with Plusnet). No amount of complaining will resolve much until the actual phone connection is reliable and stable. I live in a rural overhead cable area and have to cater with having corroded cables; Wind damage etc as a regular fact of life, but Plusnet can (and do!) get their colleagues in OpenReach to resolve the telephony path fairly quickly. Have you raised a new ticket yet?

Maurice

Yes - a new Ticket was raised.

As with the previous outage problem (August 2011), when BT Openreach visited this time, once again the engineer found no fault with the telephone cable to the exchange confirming my own view.

After some 4 days of repeated outages every few minutes and once again, before the engineer visited, the internet connection became stable. I had noted this to the Ticket some 3 days before the arranged visit.

It's worth adding that through "User Tools/Service Status" I identified that the Gateway had been upgraded/replaced in the last day or two and since the upgrade/replacement the connection had become stable (although I'm told this is a coincidence ).

I've had similar problems not so long ago, which resulted in many BT engineer visits. Mine was pretty intemittent, and was only solved when an engineer recrimpt my line in a number of places. Like yours no fault was being found by any tests, and it was always stable when the engineer visited. Unfortunately that is the was of our old infrastructure.

Mine was pretty intermittent, and was only solved when an engineer recrimped my line in a number of places. Like yours no fault was being found by any tests, and it was always stable when the engineer visited.

Too true Phil - ADSL over old (and often 'flaky') wiring can defeat most field testers. To the OP stay on the case!! BT OpenReach don't like too many unresolved repeat calls as it affects 'performance rating'